Addicted: Like Mice to Cheese
by TakeHeart
Summary: Dropped. A SasuHina fic. Need I say more? Sasuke x Hinata and Shikamaru x Ino in the later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

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**_Chapter 1-At Life's Crossroads_**

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He was used to it by now. Those stares that he got from everyone he knew or didn't know. His name was associated with "Traitor", or "Tragedy".

It wasn't as if he didn't know, he simply didn't care anymore.

Ever since he had escaped from Orochimaru, Sasuke had kept asking himself what he had been doing for all these years.

Revenge? Kill Itachi? Stop joking. He couldn't even get within an inch with him the last time he tried.

He had hungered for power, hoping to gain lots of it in a limited period of time. But now he knew. There were no shortcuts in life. Because of his ignorance, he had almost allowed himself to be used by that bastard Orochimaru. Because of his ignorance, he now had a stupid curse seal at his neck that obstructed his training.

Everytime he tried to use his Sharingan, the curse seal would hurt like hell, and it leeched greatly on his charka, making it impossible for him to train for more than two hours, no matter how large his charka capacity was.

He had been so blinded by revenge and too desired for power, and it caused him to be landed in this state. He had literally dug his own grave.

But yet, after all those hard mental slaps that he got to wake him up, the hatred in him still continued to grow. His only goal in his life now was to gain power, revenge his clan by killing Itachi, and somehow get rid of the curse seal.

Nothing can stop him from achieving this goal, not even Naruto, Kakashi or Sakura, who had risked so much to free him from Orochimaru's hold.

He was an avenger, and he needed no bonds with any living thing on Earth to hold him back.

That was what he thought.

---

Everyone was whispering his name wherever they went.

"He is back," was what she heard everywhere she went.

Hinata felt a little sorry for him. It must be hard for him, to bear the pain of his family's death that was done by his own brother. And now, after he tried to pursue power and failed, his own village that he hadgrew up in was despising him.

Was it so wrong to realise his mistake and try to go back to the way thatit was?

But then, she reminded herself, he had a choice not to leave three years ago, and he did. In the process, he had even caused Naruto, Kiba, Neji, Chouji, Shikamaru and Lee to get hurt.

Maybe that was the main reason why so many people could not forgive him. Like Ino, who had a huge crush on him ever since she knew him, had started to hate him when Chouji almost died that day.

Hinata pondered on this when she saw Sasuke walking along the streets, with whispers all around him. He didn't seem to care, though, and continued walking to his destination, wherever that is.

---

"Sasuke-kun!" Shouted Sakura at the top of her lungs, as she ran towards the said male.

Sasuke ignored her and continued walking, as if he didn't hear her.

But then Sakura caught up with him, and tugged on his sleeve,

"Ne, Sasuke-kun. Let's go eat lunch together."

"No," was his only reply.

"You are not going to train, are you? You should know very well that what you need now is lots of rest, like what Tsunade-sama said. You shouldn't strain yourself too much, Sasuke-kun."

Sakura tried to persuade him, hoping against hope that he would relent for once.

"Its none of your business," was his cold reply.

He pulled his arms out of Sakura's strong grip and continued on his journey to the training grounds.

Sakura could only watch on sadly. Ever since they saved him, his attitude had gotten colder than before. But she hoped that with time, he would open up to her. No matter what the others said, he was always that cool, strong and sometimes kind Sasuke that she knew.

That was what she believed in.

---

The sun went down in brilliant red and orange hues as darkness began to fall.

Sasuke crouched down, panting slightly as he tried not to faint. He had almost completely used up all his charka, and now it was due to his strong will that he could still hold on.

His charka capacity was limited; like everyone else's, but then he had that curse seal which sucked up extra amounts of charka. He didn't have a demon sealed within him like Naruto, where he can "borrow" the kyuubi's charka when he ran out of his own.

He felt threatened by Naruto ever since he had started training with Jiraya. He found out that Naruto improved astoundingly in leaps and bounds, while he could only take relatively small steps.

He could not lose to anyone. He must always surpass others, in order to revenge his clan. That was why he trained so hard. He cringed whenever someone called him a "genius". He wasn't born knowing everything. It was through hard work that made him what he was today.

And then he had taken a wrong step and gotten himself a curse seal.

He shook his head and sighed inwardly. There was no point in lamenting about that now. The damaged had already been done.

As he trudged back home after his training, Sasuke noticed a lone figure not far away.

She was training, in a familiar stance, there were veins around her eyes.

What was her name again? He knew she was a Hyuuga. He remembered Naruto and Sakura telling him about her, where she had fought with a strong will against her cousin, Neji during the Chunnin exams, according to them.

Hyuuga... Hinata? He could remember vaguely a shy girl with dark hair that was above her shoulders, with pale skin and paler eyes. She always stuttered, and always blushed.

She still had her hair short now, he noted,as he watched her train. But she didn't seem like the shy girl that she was three years ago. The moves that she executed seemed to hold more confidence and power.

_Seems like even she changed, too._

He was about to leave when he heard a voice call out over the silent training grounds.

"W-Who's there? Please show yourself."

_It seems like she didn't change completely._ Sasuke thought to himself as he heard Hinata stutter. She was still uncomfortable around people, it seemed. But he was quite impressed that she hadactually noticed him.

He stepped out from behind a tree, and reached Hinata's side.

"Ah. U-Uchiha-san."

Hinata bowed and greeted him as she saw who the "intruder" was.

"Hn," Sasuke gave a slight nod.

"How did you know I was here?" He was straight to the point.

"W-With my Byakugan. I could see you clearly." Hinata answered as she looked up at Sasuke.

Black orbs met with white ones. Their gaze held for a moment, before Hinata lowered her head and broke the spell.

Something was strange. Sasuke was expecting her eyes to hold some form of despise in it, at him. But he could not find anything along that line in those milky orbs of hers.

There seemed to be something else, though. Was that sympathy he saw?

He narrowed his eyes at that thought. _Sympathy?_ He didn't need that, not from anyone. How dare she think that she knew his pain. He would rather have her hating him, like everyone else.

His gaze turned cold and hard. Then he left without a word, his footsteps leaving imprints in the soft mud.

Hinata was left behind feeling bewildered. What had happened? Had she angered him in any way?

She felt a bit apologetic, but then thought that there was no reason she should be. And there she was, trying to be nice to him, after she saw the looks that everyone else gave him. But what did he do? Ignore her.

She would remind herself that this was Uchiha Sasuke that she was dealing with, who was a heartless person and didn't need anyone to be nice to him.

She would remember that.

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**_End of Chapter 1-At Life's Crossroads_**

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	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Big thanks and hugs to everyone who read and/or reviewed!

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

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_**Chapter 2-Insecurity**_

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A shinobi. She kept reminding herself that she was a **shinobi**. A cold-hearted ninja who was trained as a tool for war. There was no need for emotions during missions, just calculative measures and strategic tactics. It was either to kill or be killed. There was no room for compassion. 

And yet, as Hinata looked at the dead body-who was still alive and kicking a few minutes ago-its blood staining the forest floor, she forced down the urge to vomit at the scene.

She should be used to it by now, what with all those trainings, physical and emotional, she should be able to kill with little hesitation.

_He's my enemy! _She kept reminding herself, reciting it mentally in her head. It wasn't wrong of her to kill him.

But who should be the ones to judge if a person was to be killed? What exactly is right about killing someone and ending his whole life in that instant, with a cold and hard metal kunai?

She knew that as a ninja, she should not have these thoughts. She was raised up believing to complete whatever mission she was assigned to, even if it meant taking someone's life.

But then, she didn't really know what to believe in anymore. It all seemed so hypocritical; it being right to kill others, and wrong for others to kill her.

"Hinata! Time to go!" Kiba shouted, waving his hands to get her attention.

Shino also added a slight nod, and leapt off a tree.

Pushing back her thoughts, shesaid a final silent prayer to the corpse on the ground, before picking herself up and heading back to the village.

---

"Sasuke, you should have listened to me, the team leader," Naruto chided in an almost haughtily way.

"Che," was Sasuke's only reply.

"Naruto! Stop acting like you know everything!" Sakura snapped and hit Naruto on his head.

"Sasuke-kun. Don't mind Naruto. You know how he's always acting like an idiot," Sakura then added, waving her hand, as if trying to brush off Naruto's remark.

"Sakura-chann!" Came Naruto's protest.

The trio had just finished their mission, which had ended in an unappealing way, according to Sasuke. Naruto had actually bossed over him. The world was coming to an end.

Even though Naruto and Sakura were already Chunnins, they had requested to accompany the still-Genin Sasuke on his missions. It was to let him fit into the village and the duties after three years. Tsunade also thought that he would be more comfortable around his former teammates.

Kakashi came to check on them now and then, since the missions were only trivial ones. The village needed all of its ninja's strengths, and so everyone was fully utilised. Thus, both Naruto and Sakura also thought it sensible to help Sasuke attain the Chunnin rank, to help out the village.

In this way, he could prove his capabilities and loyalty to the village, and the villagers would slowly accept him back.

Naruto and Sakura continued to bicker, and Sasuke left them for the training grounds.

---

A tall tree came into view, its trunk a dark chocolate colour, branches reaching out and up to the sky, and its leafs swaying in rhythm with the summer breeze.

It had only been a pathetic stump three years ago, and now was a magnificent tree.

So many things have changed, and Sasuke was foreign to them. He had expected the village to be in the same state as it was before he left, but that was not the case. There was more tension in the air then before, all were afraid that Orochimaru or any other psychos would strike soon, and yet the villagers seemed more well-prepared.

Ties with the other villages had been established and re-established, as the villages all had a common enemy and threat.

And the people he had know since he was a kid; they had changed as well. Matured, they were now, stronger, they had become, and more definite goals, they now dreamed.

He felt as if he were young again, having to learn the things about the village all over again. He felt like a foreigner invading the village which he had grew up in.

Three years, and how much had he missed, how much had actually changed?

Sure, he had changed too, having become stronger andmore powerful. But he was still the Sasuke that he had been, although his hatred was deeper now.

Was it real that he was the only one who had not truely grown? Naruto could boss him, and Sakura could flirt with Naruto now, and yet, he was still that cold, insensitive, and lost Sasuke that he had been.

Had three years really passed? Or was it all just a horrible nightmare? Why was he still that same, terrified child who saw his parents killed by his brother, inside?

So lost in his thoughts he was, he didn't noticed that he had reached the training grounds.

---

When he finally looked around, Sasuke saw that same petite form in front of him again, executing the exact strokes that she had played the day before.

Hinata paused her training and looked up, her eyes locking with onyx ones.

She steadied herself and kept a stoic expression. Fixing her eyes on his, she straightened her back and stared back at him, while trying to to stop her hands from roaming and maintaining her hard expression.

But her eyes betrayed her. That face and pose was right, but her eyes just did not fit the bill. Her eyes, the colour of the moon, were so filled with emotion that he could not resist the temptation to look at them again, and drown himself in it. They wore a soft expression, and certain understanding.

The world was so full of malice, that the purity he found in her eyes seemed to be a treasure to him.

He unconsciouslyraised a hand, but let it drop abruptly when he caught something else in her pearl orbs. That look of sympathy had lingered there, and Sasuke's gaze broke when he caught sight of it. He cursed himself mentally, stuffed his rebelling hand back into his pocket and left her to find another spot for himself to train in.

---

What in the world had happened? Hinata tried to calm herself down, and stop her heart from beating so wildly.

They had only stared at each other for a few seconds, and yet, Hinata had felt something stir within her, and her legs had turned to jelly.

Hadn't she agreed with herself that she would ignore him; as if she didn't know he existed, when the incident occurred yesterday?

So why was he affecting her sonow? It all seemed so strange to her, and she could not understand it.

Why was this meeting so different from yesterday's? And what had it meant, exactly? No words had been exchanged, and yet she felt that they had communicated.

It was all so queer and new to Hinata. Deciding that even if she thought as hard as she could and she still would not find her answer, she resumed her training.

_**

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End of Chapter 2-Insecurity**_

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A/N: Short chapter, sorry, and please bear with me if it's messy. The romance will come around chapter 4 or 5, so stay tuned! (But that doesn't mean that the next chapter is going to be boring!) 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Big thanks and hugs to everyone who read and/or reviewed! I really appreciated them! They were really good motivation!

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

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_**Chapter 3-Ripples**_

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Hinata picked up the kunais on the floor and put them back into her pouch. She stretched her arms, brought them high above her head, and breathed in a lung-full of air. Looking up into the sky, she gave the clouds above a wide smile before dusting her pants and arranging her sweater.

She had just finished her training and was heading for home. Though she had focused her whole during the training, her thoughts had more then often wandered off to a certain raven-haired Uchiha.

Their two meetings had unnerved her, and she certainly hoped that she would not see him again.

But fate decided to play a cruel trick on her. There, a few metres away, was the boy who was causing her so much distress.

He was crouched with his left knee on the ground, and his right elbow on the other. Beads of perspiration trickled down his temples, over his cheek, to his chin, along the neck, and disappeared into his shirt.

Hinata followed the trail for a moment, before she realised that she was staring at him a little too... intimately. Heat rose to her cheeks and she turned around, squatted,before hiding behind a bush.

She could hear Sasuke panting heavily, and her breathing almost matched his speed. She tried to calm herself down, wondering why she was so uptight about this whole thing. And why was she hiding behind a bush anyway? Her actions actually made her look like his stalker!

Her eyes narrowed at that thought, and a slight pout was added to her pretty face. She argued with herself that she was simply preventing another confrontation with Sasuke, and was absolutely **not** some kind of stalker or any other.

Trying to prove her innocence and win the debate she had with herself, she stood up abruptly, scaring off a few crows in a nearby tree in the course of that action.

---

Sasuke was fighting against his body limitations. His eyes were clouded with exhaustion, and he struggled on to consciousness.

A sudden noise to his left alerted him. The years of training as a shinobi ensured that he was able to save his own skin when his life was threatened. He swiped out a few kunais from his pouch and threw them towards the bush, without hesitation.

Clenching his teeth, he ignored his body's protests and stood up, getting into a fighting stance. The possible danger was like a bucket of cold water splashed ontohim, stripping off his tiredness. His eyes were alert now, searching for the intruder and possible enemy.

The hostile in his eyes changed into one of surprise as he watched Hinata dodge four kunais. The fifth one found her right ankle, thrusting itself deep into her flesh.

He saw her bite her bottom lip and making them a ruby colour, trying to stop any cry of pain from escaping her mouth. Plucking out the kunai, she threw it onto the patch of grass beside her, and did a few hand seals.

Sasuke had gotten up from his stance by now, his arms crossed the way they usually were. His eyes widened a little as he watched Hinata holding a green ball of light over her wound. The flesh around her wound closed in, and blood stoppedgushing out.

_A medical jutsu. _

Her ankle was good as new, completely healed. The only evidence of the wound was a trail of dark-red blood where the wound should have been, ending into a small pool on the ground and staining the grass.

He walkedtowards her slowly, as she too, took a small step in front. She opened her mouth to say something, but heinteruppted her before she could form a word.

---

"What are you doing here?" His tone was emotionless, but with a hint of irritation.

"Eh?" Hinata blinked a few times, slightly taken-aback by his choice of words. Had she no right to be here? This place wasn't even _close_ to the Uchiha compound! How dare he treat her like an intruder! He had even attacked her!

Hinata gave a sound that sounded like a snort in retort. Then she gave Sasuke the best glare that she could give.

Her look amused him. If it was on another's face, it could have passed off as a threat. But it just didn't seem to fit on Hinata's face. She looked almost... cute with her short hair, slightly puffing cheeks and flaring nose. And yes, of course, those eyes.

Sasuke caught himself before he got carried away and let his emotions get the better of him. He regained his composure and waited for her reply, his head tilting slightly, as if challenging her.

Seeing that her glare did not work, Hinata tried to find the right words to make an intelligent answer or retort.

"I-I was on my way home."

_Intelligent answer? _Hinata cringed inwardly and kicked herself mentally. What kind of a reply was that? A two-year-old could have done better!

A smirk formed on Sasuke's face as he heard her reply and stutter. He then did a 180 degrees turn and walked away.

_5, 4, 3, 2, 1._ He counted down from five seconds and heard Hinata's footsteps behind him, each sound produced when her sandals got into contact with the ground getting louder.

"Wait!"

Catching up with Sasuke, Hinata ran a small semicircle and reached in front of him.

The smirk was more prominent now. With his arms still crossed, he waited for her reply again.

Hinata caught the smirk and saw Sasuke stare at her, expecting a reply.

_He was doing it on purpose!_ Came her realisation.

She had fallen right into his trap, and now found no way out from this humiliation. First, she had given the wrong answer, and then he had walked away without a word. Out of anger and embarrassment, she had chased after him, and had planned on demanding an answer.

She had a right to be mad, but since he had asked her why she was here and she had answered, there wasn't any point in carrying on the conversation any more. She had made a fool out of herself, and it was all owing to her shyness.

_Just ask him why he attacked you._

She recited the sentence that she wanted to speak many times in her head, like a chant.

"Why did you attack me?"

There she'd said it, and without stuttering. Pleased with herself, she gave a small smile of victory and gave herself a pat on the back.

"I thought you were an enemy or something. Or perhaps, an irritating stray dog or cat. Who or what would hide behind bushes anyway?"

The nerve of him! He was obviously trying to make a clown of her. This was perhaps, the longest speech that he had ever given to anyone since his trip back to this village, but Hinata was not at all honored.

The pain that he had felt before during his training seemed to have completely washed away. It was quite fun provoking her, and Sasuke found himself wanting to find out the many different expressions that could show on her face.

"If that's all. Bye Hinata." Sasuke sidestepped Hinata and walked away, withone hand in his pocket and another in the air, signaling a wave. He had actually called her by her name, though without any suffix. This was just prove that he had actually enjoyed himself in that conversation he had with her.

Another smirk found its way to his face as he mused to himself, quite anticipating their next meeting.

---

He had done it again. Led her by the nose, confused her, and left her dumbfounded. What was up with him, anyway? One moment he would be harsh and unfeeling. And the next, he would be taunting and teasing her.

_But he had called my name..._

And she had been rude not to answer him. But she could not really be blamed. After all, he was the one who had left her in some state of shock.

Oh well...

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_**End of Chapter 3-Ripples**_

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A/N: Another short chapter! So sorry, but I'll update soon to make up for it. More reviews equals to faster update! (winks) 

BTW, This chapter was full of SasuHina!

This chapter wasn't exactly what was formed in my head. The first two chapters were more towards the angst side, but this chapter is leaned towards the humor side... I hope it's okay... (prays hard that readers liked it.)

The plot thickens the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Big thanks and hugs to everyone who read and/or reviewed! I really appreciated them! They were really good motivation!

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

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_**Chapter 4-It Starts with Trust**_

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"Chouji! Stop stuffing everything into your mouth so fast like the end of the world is coming! Shikamaru! Stop yawning every three seconds!" Ino shouted in exasperation.

"Really... What is wrong with you two anyway? You both are already Chunnins, for goodness' sake, but are still goofing around, not an inch of seriousness in your bones," she continued, hitting Shikamaru on the head as she caught him yawning for the hundredth time that day.

"Ano... I-Ino-chan..." Hinata tried to calm Ino down, but stopped halfway in her speech as she caught Shino shaking his head, motioning for her that it was safer to leave Ino alone for the time being.

But Kiba thought otherwise as he said,

"What are you so worried about, you loud woman? Both of them are alert and dependable during the missions, and that's what matters the most, isn't it? People who don't know you might have thought you were pms-ing."

Hinata prayed silently for Kiba as she thought of how Ino would slaughter him for that statement, Shino wore his usual expressionless expression, Shikamaru stifled another yawn, while Chouji continued eating.

Kiba's death sentence came as Ino, with an unusual gleam in her eyes, starting lashing verbally at Kiba.

The other customers in the restaurant stopped eating to look at the scene, a mixture of astonishment, fear, and amusement on their faces.

Ino had become very temperamental after some missions that her team had gone with Hinata's. She tensed at the slightest problem that arose, and recently, forced Shikamaru and Chouji to do extra trainings.

There was no doubt that she had been affected by those missions, and had been worried that some kind of harm might befall her teammates. Hinata understood that this was just Ino's way of expressing herconcern for her teammates.

She was fond of Ino and her teammates, and they, along with Shino and Kiba, had become fast friends after the many missions that they had gone to.

Hinata's team was considered to be a "tracking" team, with her Byakugan, Shino's bugs, and Kiba and Akamaru's noses. Ino's team was considered to be a "decoy" team, with her confusing body-taking jutsu, Shikamaru's strategies cum shadow technique, and Chouji's awesome strength.

Because of their abilities, they always completed their mission with very few injuries until now, and Tsunade-sama thought it wise to let the two teams go for more joint missions. She was also proud of how they could work so well together.

She smiled as she saw Kiba being "bullied" by Ino. If they were her teammates, Hinata was sure Ino would "mother" over them too.

_She can be a nag sometimes... _Hinata told herself silently, and vowed never to tell Ino about this.

Surprisingly, Shikamaru was the one who came to Kiba's rescue.

"You guys... Have you heard that Uchiha Sasuke is back?"

His diversion worked, as Ino's attention shifted immediately from Kiba to Shikamaru.

Shino was the first one to reply,

"Kiba, Hinata and I heard the rumors the day we got back from our mission, three days ago."

"Yeah... Us too. He still has the cheek to come back after what he has done, that bastard of a Sasuke!" was Ino's heated reply, colour rising to her cheeks as anger showed.

Chouji had also stopped eating, and with an unreadable expression, said,

"I had nightmares that night about the fight with the sound-nin."

"Hah. Seems like his not the popular guy he was anymore. Even Ino is taking bad about him now... Well, things have really changed, ne Akamaru?"

The white-furred dog who had grown considerably large over the years, gave a low growl in reply, hostile at the mention of Sasuke and that fight three years ago.

"What did you mean by that? Are you mocking me? He wasn't that bad last time and I was too young that time, okay? So stop bringing that up already!" Ino shouted, embarrassed at the mention of her past misjudgment.

_He didn't seem so bad... _Hinata thought as she took in all this. Afraid that she might blurt out anything that might anger her friends, she stood up and announced,

"Ano... Hokage-sama told me to meet her, so I'll be off now. Bye, Ino-chan, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, Shikamaru-kun, and Chouji-kun." She bowed politely to each of them and made her retreat.

"Bye Hinata-chan," came the chorus behind her.

---

"So that will be your mission. You are to leave tomorrow at 7 a.m. sharp. I wish you the best of luck. You are dismissed."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Neji, Lee and Tenten left the room while Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi stayed behind.

"Hokage-sama! If the three of us are gone on this mission, what about Sasuke?" Sakura asked, her voice laced with worry.

"Don't worry, Sakura. This matter will be taken care of. He will be in good hands," Tsunade assured her, knowing how uptight Sakura could be about around matters concerning Sasuke.

"But who..." Her voice was cut by a knock on the door.

"Hokage-sama, you called for me?" Hinata questioned.

"Ah Hinata-chan. Come in," Tsunade greeted back, a hand motioning for her to step into the room.

As she walked in, she was surprised to find Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi inside. She gave them a small smile and stood a few feet away from Tsunade's table, and waited for her command.

"Right. Hinata-chan, as Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura are going to be away for a mission, I will need you to train with Sasuke for the time being."

"What?" came three cries, while Kakashi turned a second away from his book and looked at the other four inside the room.

"Ho-Hokage-sama..." Hinata stuttered, not believing what she had just heard. Maybe if she pleaded with her...

"Why me?" came her reply.

"Well, since you also have a bloodline limit, I thought you could help out Sasuke. Besides, you are the most tolerant among the Chunnins, and I thought perhaps you won't mind him."

_But I do mind! _Hinata screamed inside her head, thinking of the recent prank Sasuke had pulled on her. She bit her lips to stop that sentence from coming out.

"Well, this is an order, Hinata. Until they return, you would have to be in charge of his training." Tsunade leaned back into the armchair and sighed.

"I know many people are not happy of his return, and I won't be able to imagine what will happen if they were to be with Sasuke during his trainings..." She trailed off, and stared at a dirty spot on the wall opposite her.

"Why... why do we need someone to be with Sasuke, Hokage-sama?" Sakura asked, although she already knew the answer.

Tsunade's sigh was deeper now as she explained,

"We are still not sure if Sasuke is really back with us. He could very well be a spy, and so until we are confirmed whose side he is on, we will need someone to keep an eye on him. He still has that curse seal, so I need reports on how it affects him during his trainings." She looked intently at Hinata, trying to make her understand the situation.

"And I also suspect that he might be tempted to return to Orochimaru because of his curse seal."

"Hokage-sama! Sasuke will never return to Orochimaru! You should know what kind of hell he went through, all thanks to him!" Naruto, who was silent until now, shouted.

"Naruto! If we make one mistake about Sasuke, the whole village will be affected! Think about what would happen if Orochimaru were to attack the village again!" Tsunade's voice echoed throughout the room.

"I'm doing this for Sasuke too, Naruto. I hope the village will be able to accept him soon, if this goes on well."

Hinata was looking at the floor all this time, and feeling a little sorry for Sasuke. She now knew why he was always so cold around others. Who wouldn't be, if everyone was judging you, to see if you are worthy to return to their circle?

Not able to control herself any longer, she looked up and said,

"But how would the village be able accept him if we ourselves don't trust him?" Her voice rang loud and clear, as four pairs of eyes widened at her statement. (A/N: Yes, even Kakashi.)

---

"That was a really nice thing to say back there, Hinata-chan. Right, Sakura-chan?"

"Ano... it was nothing, Naruto-kun." Hinata blushed as she answered. Although she no longer had a crush on Naruto, the crush had been long enough to still linger a little on Hinata, and so she was still shy when she was around Naruto.

The three of them were walking along the streets, after having dismissed from the meeting.

Hinata caught Sakura staring at her, but she shifted her gaze when she noticed Hinata looking quizzically at her.

"Naruto, let's go find Sasuke and tell him about our mission," Sakura said, tugging his sleeve.

"Okay. Bye, Hinata-chan."

"Bye, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan."

But Sakura ignored her, and hurried off with Naruto to look for Sasuke.

---

The next morning, as Hinata was about to leave the Hyuuga compound, she saw Neji at the gate carrying a large backpack.

"Hi, Neji-niisan. Are you off for your mission?"

Neji turned around and smiled a little as he nodded in reply, then added,

"Take care, Hinata-sama." His eyes were gentle when he said that, with genuine concern of his cousin's welfare.

"You should, too, Neji-niisan. Good luck!" Hinata waved at the retreating figure.

She then went back to the matter at hand. Where would Sasuke be?

---

Two hours later, Hinata finally saw the Uchiha in a deserted part of a training ground. She had searched high and low for him, starting at the training grounds that they had met twice.

She panted and breathed deeply; her search had worn her out completely. God knows how and where she went all over the village just to look for him. She should have told him to meet her somewhere, although she doubted if he would show up at the location.

How long had he been training? His clothes were crumpled and drenched in his sweat. She thought about the report and sighed inwardly.

_This is going to be a long day._

She walked over to him, deciding that it might be wise to greet him first. But as she was about to reach him, Sasuke collapsed to the ground with a grunt without warning.

"Sasuke-san!" She rushed towards the said, in an attempt to help him up.

But a hand came out and shoved her away, as Sasuke struggled to stand up, refusing Hinata's help.

A pair of Sharingan eyes bore into her white ones andSasuke looked at Hinata with hostile.

"Uchiha-san. You shouldn't use your Sharingan too much, especially if you are almost out of charka."

Hinata had read throughthoroughly at Sasuke's report which Tsunade had given, and was a little shock to find out that the curse seal he had actually leeches on his charka.

But Sasuke took Hinata's advice the wrong way, and snarled menacingly,

"Shut up."

Did she think that he was weak? He stood up and trudged away, trying to increase the distance between them. Then he resumed his training.

Hinata frowned at Sasuke's stubbornness, and marched up to him.

"What you need right now is a rest, Uchiha-san. You shouldn't strain yourself too much."

Hinata herself didn't understand why she bothered to tell him such things.

_Its all for the report._ She assured herself.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks at Hinata's statement. An irritated expression crept up his face. Why was she here, telling him all those things? Why can't she just leave him alone, like everyone else does? He hated that Hinata had actually seen him in such a pathetic state.

He had heard from Naruto and Sakura yesterday that Hinata had orders to train with him, and had been angry. He didn't like it when people were there with him when he was training, because that was when the curse seal "did its work" and made him vulnerable.

Kakashi was a different case. He helped him with his training. But Hinata...

"Weren't you here to train with me? Why don't you cut those boring speeches and actuallystart training?" Sasuke shouted and pounced onto Hinata.

Shock was registered on her face as she saw Sasuke turn into a blur and coming towards her.

But just as Sasuke was about to land a blow on Hinata, his whole body spasmed and went numb, then he collapsed again, but this time with Hinata as his cushion.

Hinata felt Sasuke's weight on her, and she fell backwards, muffling a scream into a squeak as her body hit the floor. Sasuke's body was pressed onto hers, his face onto her neck, chest onto her abdomen, and thighs onto her leg.

She flushed red from head to toe at their body contact, and tried to squirm out and under from Sasuke, but to no avail. His breath tickled her neck as he muttered a curse, and a shiver ran down her spine.

They stayed like that for moments, until finally, Sasuke regained control of his body and muscles, and got off Hinata.

A slight blush showed on his cheeks as he thought of how soft Hinata was, and how those curves fitted his form so well...

He shook his head off all those thoughts and walked away, as Hinata did at the same time, bothnot daring to look at the other in the eye. They left in separate directions, faces still slightly red from the incident.

* * *

_**End of Chapter 4-It Starts with Trust**_

* * *

A/N: A longer chapter! (Claps to no one in particular) I would be busy the next week or so, and the update will be slower. Thus, this longer chapter is to make up for that! I actually brought forward about 2/7 of the next chapter! (cries)

I just want you all to notice how Hinata switched from the usual "Uchiha-san" to "Sasuke-san" when she saw him collapse. (winks)

I hope this chapter isn't confusing. I think I hate writing too many dialouges...

And let's pray hard that romance blossoms between this two! (laughs.)

Also... I would like to add in some extra pairings in this story. Please tell me who you prefer. But don't worry, the main character will still be SasuHina.

Thanks for reading. REVIEW!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Big thanks and hugs to everyone who read and/or reviewed! I really appreciated them! They were really good motivation!

Before I begin, I would like to announce that Sasuke and Hinata and all the other characters with the same age as them are 16+... (Neji and co. are 17+)

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

* * *

_**Chapter 5-A Different Kind of Feeling**_

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata sank to the ground and tried to prevent herself from hyperventilating. What was with Uchiha Sasuke and Training Grounds? It seemed that everytime they met there, **something** would happen. 

Her cheeks glowed bright red again as she thought about what the **something** that had just happened was. She shook her head and tried to dispel the image formed in her mind.

_Nothing good happens whenever i meet him..._ _But this is my mission, after all..._

Playing her hair with her fingers, she thought about how she could prevent **such things** from happening again.

Her right foot kicked something as she stood up, and she bent down to look at it. She groaned inwardly when she saw what it was: _an object _that contained a lot of money...

_Speak of the devil._

Just when she had formulated some sort of rules and guidelines to 'prevent such things from happening again', she had to go pick up **Sasuke's wallet**.

---

Uchiha Sasuke strolled along the streets of the Konoha Hidden Village in his usual manner.

His bangs covered his forehead protector and the tips reached his eyes. His hands were snugged cosily in his front pockets. He walked around with his I-don't-give-a-damn expression on his face and his body emitted an icy-cold atmosphere.

But his thoughts today were preoccupied with images of a certain creamy white-eyed kunoichi that made his palms sweat and breathing ragged.

To summarise this, what he really needs now is to have a good talk with his hormones and perhaps, visit his psychiatrist. (A/N: He is a 16+ year-old guy after all, and most of them are driven by their hormones.)

Sasuke entered a Sushi Bar and plopped onto a stool. Not bothering with the contents, he ordered what was written on the first line of the menu.

Resting his elbows on the table and tucking his hands under his chin, he thought about how he could get out of this predicament. He was still thinking about it when the food arrived and when he placed a roll of rice into his mouth. But he found no solution.

What had he landed himself into? The curse seal **just had** to hinder him at that moment, and of all places, he **just had** to land on Hinata.

But maybe it was worth it, what with those soft curves of hers that flattened against him, and the vanilla-coated scent of hers that drifted to his nose... _Ack_!

_Dammit_. He cursed under his breath as he felt his muscles tighten, and tried frantically to erase all those thoughts from his mind.

Sighing, he got up from the stool and proceeded to the counter. He ignored the flirtatious smile that was displayed on the woman at the counter. Digging into his back pocket, he searched for his... wallet?

Beads of perspiration dripped down from Sasuke's forehead protector as he tried, in vain, to find that vital object. He was positive that he had brought his wallet along today, so why was it not where it should be now?

The woman was battling her eyelids and leaning towards the counter now, showing off some cleavage from the deep V-neck of her red T-shirt. A smirk was added to her features and her eyes glinted when Sasuke pulled his hand out of his pocket and grasped thin air.

Her lips parted slightly to form a word, but a shout travelled over a few metres and reached them, breaking her speech.

"U-Uchiha-san!"

Hinata entered the scene with rosy cheeks and heavy breathing. With her arms outstretched, she handed Sasuke his wallet.

---

Sasuke and Hinata walked out of the Sushi Bar, with the woman trying to blow kisses at Sasuke and glaring at Hinata simultaneously.

A mixture of embarrassment and relief was seen on Sasuke's face for a fleet moment while Hinata tried her best to surpass the laughter that was forcing to flow out.

"Thanks," Sasuke mumbled while staring straight ahead.

A light giggle was released from Hinata as she recalled Sasuke's expression at the counter. It certainly gave a new meaning to the word 'horror'. She was also enjoying the light feeling she had around Sasuke.

"Stop laughing," he muttered, and looked at the ground sheepishly.

His actions only made Hinata's giggle reverberate louder as she thought about his rare expressions that leaked out, courtesy of this incident. She wondered what would have happened to Sasuke if she didn't arrive there in time to 'save' him.

As if reading her thoughts, Sasuke grunted,

"If you didn't show up just now, I bet that woman would have stripped me naked and tied me up in chains."

He shuddered inwardly as he said that.

Hinata cocked her head to one side and started at Sasuke, not fully understanding his words.

Sasuke noticed her expression and pushed down the idea of pinching her cheeks and making them a deep red. Instead, he blurted out,

"Though **you** would look better in them."

"Eh?" Hinata answered, still not comprehending his words.

Erotic images of Hinata that had something to with _chains _seeped into Sasuke's mind and he clenched his teeth in repulse. His steps quickened as he thought it safer to try to keep a distance between Hinata.

"N...Nothi-"

"Hinata-chan!" He was interrupted by a loud squeal, as five figures approached them.

Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba and Shino came into view, and Ino placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder and asked,

"So how was the meeting with the Hoka-."

She stopped short when she saw who was beside Hinata.

"Oi, Uchiha. What are you doing around Hinata-chan?" Kiba was the first to speak up after the short moment of silence.

Shino's eye-browns were knotted together while Chouji stopped munching on his chips.

"You have no business to be around her, so buzz off!" Ino yelled.

"How troublesome... Hinata-chan, let's leave."

"Yea... It's better if you stay away from him..."

"Woof!"

"..."

Hinata watched as all six of them (including Akamaru) looked at Sasukewith distaste. Sasuke's gaze were cold and hard once more, and the light atmosphere that had been around him just now was now replaced by the usual heavy and unfriendly one.

Ino tugged Hinata's arm gently, leading her to the group. As Sasuke walked away from them, a thousands thoughts and emotions coursed through Hinata's mind that instant.

Prying her arm away from Ino's grip, Hinata took a step back and shouted, her voice crystal-clear,

"Don't judge him so soon when you don't even know him!"

Hinata took in the look of surprise on her friends' faces and how Sasuke halted in his track.

She continued speaking, but this time her voice was mild and pleading,

"It's not fair to Sasuke-san..."

"Hinata...?" Ino asked, her voice unsure.

Hinata didn't know why she had said those words, but her mind had suddenly formed those thoughts, and she had followed it without thinking twice of the consequences it could cause.

How can she make them realise that it's not right to treat Sasuke like that, and that they should try to know his feelings? But why was she speaking up for him? Does this mean that she understands him?

Confused and upset that she had caused so much trouble, she ran past Sasuke after mumbling an apology to her friends.

It was only many minutes later when Sasuke finally followed her, leaving the others behind to ponder over Hinata's words.

* * *

_**End of Chapter 5-A Different Kind of Feeling**_

* * *

A/N: Well, well, well... What do we have here? Don't worry, more will be revealed next chapter when Hinata sorts out her thoughts. 

And this started out as a horny chapter! (squeals)

Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Big thanks and hugs to everyone who read and/or reviewed! I love you all to bits and pieces! This quick update is a thank you to you all! But I hope you don't mind that it is short...

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

* * *

_**Chapter 6-Completing the Equation**_

* * *

It was already past evening when Sasuke finally found her.

It wasn't as if he was slow. He **knew** where she was, but he had deliberately taken a longer route to reach her. He had a feeling she would be there for a long time, and thus, had taken his time while wandering around Konoha to think of what to say when he got there.

It wasn't his usual style, and he was perplexed at how he would go through so much trouble for her. He was usually straightforward; it was easier that way and he wanted to get his point across without much hustle. But now...

Saying that Hinata intrigued Sasuke was an understatement. It was something more then that, but he could not make out what it actually was. She caught his attention the first time they met after he had returned to the village. And through their many meetings, he found himself wanting to know more about Hinata.

Perhaps it was because she was so different from the others. Perhaps it was because he was just curious. Perhaps it was because his hormones were too unstable. Perhaps it was because she was Hinata.

No one, absolutely no one, had stood up for him like what Hinata did today. His mind went blank for moments when he heard her words, and he suddenly felt warm and comforted, like he was sitting near the fireplace and huddled in a blanket on a freezing, cold, winter night.

And now, seeing her sitting by the pond, legs tucked under her body with her palms folded neatly on her lap, and her hair doing a slow waltz with the gentle breeze, he felt his heart glow with warmth. She was basked in the moonlight and looking all slivery and goddess-like.

Etching this memory of her deeply into his mind, he approached her and sat down beside her.

A comfortable silence hung in the air, and the only movements seen were that of the fishes, reflecting some of the moonlight that shone on them when they swam. Sliver ripples darted around on the surface of the pond and it looked stunning.

"Why?" He broke the silence after gathering enough courage to say this single word, and trying to make himself sound as expressionless as he could be.

Her fingers curled and she fiddled with the hem of her sweater. And then she turned around to face him, with her pearl orbs that hid nothing. Emotions swirled in those milky abysses, and she released them little by little, making Sasuke hang on to her every word.

"They say that you are a heartless and cold b-bastard..." She stumbled upon that single word, and a blush crept up her cheeks.

"But I think that you are more capable of love then anyone else..."

Her sentence struck a chord in his heart, and he motioned for her to explain her words.

"The reason for you wanting to avenge your clan, wanting to k-kill I-Itachi... Is because you simply loved your family too much and you wanted justice to be done for the ones you loved, and still love..."

Hinata looked away when she said that, afraid that she might anger him with that statement. But she had to let him know, know that someone out there understands his obsession of wanting to kill Itachi.

She had been thinking of that all this while, and finally came to the conclusion that she could actually understand his intentions. The reason he hungered for power, the reason he was so cold to everyone.

He was afraid of losing a loved one again, and so felt that it was better for him to not have anyone like that, so that he wouldn't have to bear the pain again. This was the reason why he distanced himself from everyone. Someday, she would tell him that she understands this, too.

---

Sasuke looked at his reflection in the waters and saw a sad smile there on that face. All that Hinata had said... were they true? Did his hatred for **that person** came from love?

He wasn't so sure of it himself. No one had said this to him, and he had never looked at it that way. He had just dived himself into a sea of hatred and misery and was bent on revenging his clan.

And now, as he pondered over Hinata's words, he finally realised that he didn't really know why he was so hard on wanting to avenge his clan and kill Itachi.

Was it out of duty? Out of fear? Out of embarrassment? Out of hurt and misery? Or was it actually out of love?

It was just too complexed and complicated. And right now, he didn't want to fully understand it himself. But he had to let Hinata know something, though...

"I lost everything that day..." There was a hint of sadness in his voice.

To lose everything in a single night. To watch your own **brother** commit the act. To remember the cries of your parents. To be thrown into the world of loneliness.

It was just too much for him to bear. That night tormented him in his frequent nightmares, and he can never find peace in it.

He watched, out of the corner of his eye, at Hinata's reaction. She seemed un-fazed, but her brows were knitted together and she was clenching and un-clenching her fists at her lap.

"You still have your dreams, and goals..." Her voice was soft but clear.

Sasuke almost snorted at that comment. The only **dreams** and **goals** he had now was to kill Itachi and perhaps, revive his clan.

But his eyes widened when he heard the next part of her sentence.

"You still have yourself, and a life to live..."

Hinata looked up and locked her eyes with Sasuke's. She had to make him learn that all was not lost, and that his life **did not** revolve around killing Itachi and revenging his clan.

This... woman... He could not bring himself to call Hinata a 'girl', after experiencing how 'woman' she was... but anyway...

He could not believe his ears. How could such... sensible thoughts come from her? He always thought she was the shy, timid, weak and spoilt Hyuuga heiress, but no.

She was so _damn_ innocent and mature at the same time.

_A life to live... _Does this mean that he wasn't living his life all this while? That he was just living in the past's shadow?

But no one can understand how important revenging his clan is to him, not even him himself. If he wants to truly break free of the past's hold, he would have to go through Itachi first. This was what he firmly believed in.

But until then, right now, at this moment, he just wanted to believe in whatever Hinata had said. He was tired of having this immense hatred for all these years. He needed a break.

Right now, he only wanted to feel Hinata close by, and be in her presence.

_**

* * *

End of Chapter 6-Completing the Equation

* * *

**_

A/N: This is a short chapter because I didn't want to spoil the SasuHina moments...(Yea, right... what an excuse)

Please review to tell me how you find this chapter... :)

And don't complain if the romance is going too slow... XD

Thanks so much for (wasting your time by) reading this!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Big thanks and hugs to everyone who read and/or reviewed! I love you all to bits and pieces!

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

* * *

_**Chapter 7-To Reach an Understanding**_

* * *

Darkness fell, like a dark cloak shrouded over the village.

Ino strolled down the streets by Shikamaru's side, with a wistful smile on her face.

Her mind was invaded by the event that happened earlier that day. Hinata had stood up for Sasuke; this must mean something. She never doubt Hinata's judgment; she always could see things much deeper then others.

But she was worried just the same. Almost everyone despised Sasuke because of what he had done, save for Sakura and Naruto, and now, Hinata.

Perhaps they were really wrong to have judged Sasuke like that; they didn't even give him a chance to start life afresh.

A pout was shown on her face that moment. How could they accept him back when all he does is show that extremely-cold-and-don't-come-near-me face? Anyone would have left him alone, or mouth an insult.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tug on her arm, pulling her to the left.

She looked up and frowned, displeased that her thoughts were broken.

"What was that for?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and pointed absentmindedly at something on her right.

"You almost knocked into that lamppost, idiot."

Ino muttered an 'Oh' and her mind drifted back to the issue on hand. She should really have a good talk with Hinata, and share opinions with her on this matter. An Uchiha Sasuke isn't going to destroy their friendship; she would see to that.

But Hinata; kind and forgiving, would probably just smile and reply that 'Its okay'.

A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and Shikamaru saw it.

This was weird. He cocked an eyebrow and mussed. No shouting, screaming, retorting back when he had called her idiot? Was this really Ino? And that smile... he had seldom seen it.

A look of concern crossed his face, and he spoke up,

"What are you thinking about?"

He nudged her right arm with his elbow. Normally, Shikamaru wouldn't care even if the sky was going to drop. But this time... it was different.

"Nothing. Just sorting out my thoughts..."

Satisfied with her decision of meeting up with Hinata tomorrow, she faced Shikamaru with a wide grin, that kind that could turn heads effectively, though Ino had no intention of doing that.

And as the moon showered her with soft, silver light, highlighting her features, and making her smile look more radiant, Shikamaru felt a tug at his heart.

He tried to think of something to say, but his mind was blank that moment and no words formed. But when they reached a pond, Ino pulled Shikamaru down all of a sudden and the spell was broken.

"Wha-"

He stopped short when Ino squatted down beside him, and placed a finger on her lips, motioning for him to keep quiet.

His back rubbed against something rough and he realised that he was leaning against a tree. Something poked into his flesh and he grunted at that sharp pain.

What on Earth was that troublesome woman doing? She had better have a good answer for landing him in this state with a splinter stuck in his neck!

Ino's head was turned and she looked in the direction of the pond. Curious, Shikamaru peered over his shoulders to get a view of whatever she was looking at.

His eyes widened a little when he saw Hinata and Sasuke sitting by the lake, apparently having a conversation.

But wait. So what was he doing here then? He groaned inwardly when his mind processed the information.

He tapped Ino's shoulder and asked her, dreading the answer,

"Why are we hiding behind this tree?"

What kind of a question is that? A look of irritation passed her face and she hissed,

"So that we won't be found!" She answered as simply as she could.

Shikamaru debated whether he should ask 'Why can't we be found?', but decided against it. He also wanted to know why Hinata and Sasuke were together, even though he knew that it was wrong to eavesdrop.

After a few minutes of... eavesdropping, he saw Ino turning around and sighing. When she was halfway through the act, Shikamaru saw her elbow swinging and coming into contact with the tree...

Semi-unconsciously, he clamped her mouth shut with his palm to muffle the small cry of pain.

---

Sasuke thought he heard something behind him, but then shrugged after a few seconds. He had promised himself that he would just take it easy this moment, without a care for a world. Not could bother him right now.

He lay down on the soft grass with his hands supporting his head at the back, and looked up at the starry sky and counted the stars. He used to do that when he was little, but had stopped doing so since **that** day...

Frowning and reminding himself that he could do without those thought for one day, he turned his head sightly to look at Hinata on his left.

She placed a finger into the pond, causing ripples to appear and spread. A few fishes swam up and nibbled her finger, and a soft giggle escaped her lips.

Sasuke felt light-headed and could only stare. Only Hinata could have such an effect on him. He tore his gaze away and concentrated on counting the stars.

A soft rustle was heard beside him and he turned his head to find Hinata lying on the grass, in the exact same position as he is.

He stopped breathing for a few seconds when Hinata smiled at him, her eyes on his.

Sasuke could vaguely hear Hinata telling him how she used to peer out of the window at night and count the starts above every night. He was just staring at her, filling himself completely with the images and memories of her.

It was sometime later when they finally stood up, dusting their pants, and saying 'goodbyes'.

But not after Sasuke told her,

"I'll see you tomorrow at the training grounds."

---

Ino forgot about the pain in her elbow when Shikamaru clamped his hand over her mouth and pulled her against him. She was shocked for a few seconds, and when she finally regained her senses, she felt heat radiating from Shikamaru's chest to her back.

She managed to choke out the words when Shikamaru removed his right hand, but his left hand still held her, close.

"What are you doing?" She tried to add in some tone of annoyance.

"So that we won't be found," he answered bluntly, slightly mocking her.

She tried to wiggle herself out off his strong grip, but Shikamaru held her tighter, his hand now holding her waist firmly.

"Wait a few more minutes until they are gone."

God... She really shouldn't move around like this. It took all of Shikamaru's will to breath out that sentence, all the time smelling the light fragrance her hair emitted, and feeling the softness of her body.

It seemed like eternity when Sasuke and Hinata finally left, in different directions. This was when Shikamaru let go of Ino, reluctantly.

He was greeted with a punch in his gut, and grunted when his back knocked against the tree trunk.

Though Ino had beat Shikamaru with much gusto, the pretty blush on her face said otherwise.

Shikamaru gave Ino a cocky grin and said,

"You were the one that suggested we hide."

Ino showed him a fist again as her response, but this time Shikamaru dodged it. He switched their positions, and now it was Ino's turn to 'meet-and-greet' the tree.

She gave a wince but stopped when Shikamaru sunk one hand into her hair and pulled out the band that tied her hair together.

Her hair was now free, and the blond locks tumbled down her shoulders. The leaves above them casted patterns everywhere with their shadows, and a little moonlight filtered inthrough the few gaps.

Shikamaru took his time to let his eyes enjoy the feast before him. But smirked when he saw Ino glaring at him indignantly, with as much dignity as she had left.

He noticed her blush when he eased closer to her, and placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

They would probably remember this night forever.

The gorgeous night sky smiled down on two figures walking away from the pond, fingers laced with each others'.

_**

* * *

End of Chapter 7-To Reach an Understanding

* * *

**_

A/N: Waah! I got carried away on the Shikamaru x Ino scene! But I hope you like it as much as i do! (sorry to those who don't like this pairing... :( )

More Sasuke x Hinata next chapter to make up for this, I promise! But in the meantime, please leave a review to give me your views on this chapter!

Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: So sorry for the slow update! I had exams! I hope you like this chapter!

Thanks for 83 reviews to:

**weeeee** (x2), **Fractured wings 01** (x7), **NanamiYatsumaki** (x7), **lunarangel** (x7), **firewindgurl**, **insanely-normal**, **krn-kimbap** (x2), **Vegeta-is-Forgotten**, **mUcHaChAnGiStAriRaY** (x4), **Anime/Manga lubber** (x3), **Ah-choo** (x5), **candy44** (x3), **oztan** (x3), **Rogue Destiny**, **Lady Kilgorin**, **happykid** (x2), **Nekema**, **kenshinlover2002** (x5), **shikaruTo**, **toet**, **Paul Phoenix**, **xxMizukixx **(x2), **newblue** (x2), **The Dark Hanyou** (x2), **Adhenefallen**, **Smox**, **Chishio** (x3), **Payday** (x2), **MisSs005** (x2), **pups4u34** (x2), **amwong88**, **Dark Nadeshiko**, **Meever**, **loneangel1016**, **wolf-enzeru**, **annizmon**, **sasaki**

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

* * *

_**Chapter 8-Misleading Doubts**_

* * *

**Two Weeks Later** (The authoress is lazy... :p)

"Hokage-sama."

A knock on the door was followed by a greeting when a lavender head peaked in after hearing no reply. There was the said Hokage, if her head plopped onto her desk, asleep. Her mouth was parted slightly and a trail of drool ended on a stack of papers.

"Hokage-sama? Hokage-sama!"

Hinata tried again, this time with her voice louder and poking the woman gently on her arm. Finally, Tsunade stirred and tore open an eye to look at Hinata.

"Hokage-sama. I'm here to give you the report on Uchiha Sasuke."

Hinata placed a file on the desk and waited for Tsunade's instructions.

Tsunade mumbled something incoherent and rubbed her eyes to get the sleep off them. She flipped through the documents that Hinata had handed her. As she reached the middle, she seemed more awake when she read the information recorded inside, and a frown was etched onto her face.

"It seems my suspicions are confirmed."

Tsunade leaned back into her armchair and let out a sigh. What a headache this was going to be...

"Is there any way to lessen its effects?" Hinata asked hesitantly, after a brief moment of silence. Her face showed concern... and hope.

That tiny bubble of hope burst when she saw Tsunade shake her head. She sighed softly and faced the wooden floor.

_A parasite._ That was what it was. The curse seal on Sasuke's neck

In the beginning, it had given him power; expanding his charka capacity and making him stronger. But then, as the time went by, it had became a form of liability, leeching on his charka; sucking his energy which made it impossible for him to fight a long battle.

Hinata shuddered inwardly at the thought of the monstrous thing and its inventor. Orochimaru was a genius, really, to come up with such a device that could lure those who crave power.

She thought of the dark-haired shinobi and could not help but feel sorry for him. He was only trying to gain power; to avenge the ones he love, and had blindly fallen into Orochimaru's trap.

Bidding the Hokage farewell, Hinata stepped out of the worn-down building and proceeded to the training grounds.

---

He should have known. Known that Orochimaru would never give him power freely, especially if he was his _pawn._

How could he have been that stupid as to _trust_ someone like Orochimaru to help him gain power? He would have been better off asking a _snake_ for advice.

Sasuke clenched his teeth and steadied his breathing. He dropped onto the ground heavily and tried to relax his muscles.

Hard work was still the only way to become stronger. It had taken him too long to realise this. The fancy jutsus that Orochimaru had taught him wouldn't be of much use if he was going to be worn out after only a few hours.

He looked up when he sense a familiar charka signature. _She was here._

Pushing himself off the ground, he managed to get up just as he saw her petite form come into view.

---

(A/N: Pardon my poor fighting scene.)

Hinata dodged the lightning-fast fists and planted a blow on his right shoulder. Sasuke was thrown off a few metres but he landed on his two feet.

Fierce Sharingan eyes pierced through Hinata's determined Byakugan ones. She regained her defensive position and waited for his attack.

At the same time, Hinata was also looking out for any unusual signs in Sasuke that could be added in the report, and aid in Tsunade's research on finding a possible solution to the curse seal.

She thought she saw Sasuke's Sharingan flicker off for a second, and was about to comment on it, when she felt someone locking her hands behind her and placing a kunai at her neck.

"You have the nerve to be distracted when sparring with me? That's a little insulting, Hinata."

His mouth was next to her ear, tickling it with his hot breath. Hinata blushed at their closeness and, ever so slightly, trembled involuntarily.

She smiled sheepishly as Sasuke tucked the kunai back into his pouch and turned her around to face him.

"Sorry, Sasuke-san. I noticed something..."

She trailed off when she saw the warning gaze in his black eyes. His Sharingan wasn't activated, but his glare now seemed more frightening.

Sasuke didn't like Hinata bringing up the matter of his curse seal and her _report_. It made Sasuke look like he was Hinata's _assignment_ or something...

Hinata pressed her lips together. It wasn't worth making Sasuke angry. Few had lived to describe it.

She motioned for Sasuke to follow her, and walked towards a tree. Taking out two lunch boxes, she handed one over to Sasuke and sat down on a patch of grass.

Sasuke took the blue box without a word. Hinata had been preparing his lunch ever since they started training together, and he didn't mind it one bit. He enjoyed eating whatever she made; some were actually better then those famous restaurants.

Hinata smiled as she saw Sasuke splitting his chopsticks and digging into his meal. It felt good to know that someone appreciates your cooking.

A comfortable silence ensued as the two ate their lunch. And a sincere 'thanks' was heard when Sasuke handed back the lunch box to Hinata after emptying all of its contents.

---

_Sasuke-kun..._

A pink-haired kunoichi was looking for a certain raven-haired shinobi. She was just about to give up and take a well-deserved rest when she noticed someone walking towards her.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura shouted and ran over to greet him.

"Sakura-san."

Hinata greeted Sakura when she saw her. That was when Sakura realised that there was someone else standing beside Sasuke.

Sakura blinked her eyes and stared at Hinata, only to frown a second later. What was Hinata doing around _her_ Sasuke?

Sakura saw that Sasuke had ignored her completely, and yet, had not walked off. Her eyes widened in shock. It was almost as if Sasuke was waiting for Hinata; Sasuke wanted to walk with Hinata.

_No! Impossible!_ Inner Sakura screamed, glaring and throwing daggers at Hinata.

Giving Sasuke a slight nudge, Sakura tried to ask Sasuke out for a meal, all the time praying that what she had suspected wasn't true.

She was given a cold 'No'. And still, Sasuke stayed in his spot.

Hinata was debating with herself, unsure if she should leave the two or stay and join in the 'conversation'. She didn't really know Sakura, though.

Inner Sakura was screaming colourful words at Hinata, when an idea popped up.

"Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked _sweetly_, adding a _sweet_ smile.

"Hai?"

Hinata looked at Sakura quizzically as an answer.

"We just got back from a mission, and Naruto-kun got hurt pretty badly. I know that you've liked Naruto since forever, and thought that perhaps you might want to visit him at the hospital?"

Sakura tucked a loose pink strand of hair behind her ear and cocked her head sideways, observing Hinata's expression, and Sasuke's too, from the corner of her eye.

"Eh? I-"

Giving her no chance to explain, Sakura pulled Hinata and marched off to the hospital.

"There's no need to be shy, Hinata-chan. I'm sure Naruto-kun feels the same way about you."

_Hinata likes the dobe?_

Sasuke was shocked, and his mouth was parted slightly. And then, his eyes darkened as he balled his fists. He followed Sakura and Hinata, his footsteps slightly heavier then usual.

* * *

_**End of Chapter 8- Misleading Doubts**_

* * *

A/N: Um? I don't know why, but this chapter seems a little weird to me...

And no, I don't hate Sakura. I quite like her; in fact, but I hate the Sasuke x Sakura pairing. I think she's wasting her time pining for him, and disappointingso many good guys wholike her.

Please leave a review... would like to hear your opinions.

Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N:

Thanks for reviews to:

**Fractured wings 01, insanely-normal,** **mUcHaChAnGiStAriRaY,** **Anime/Manga lubber,** **Ah-choo,** **oztan, happykid,** **kenshinlover2002, newblue,** **The Dark Hanyou, Chishio, MisSs005,** **pups4u34,** **amwong88,** **wolf-enzeru**, **Aelyth, observaant- not mean, Love Hunter02, YumYum-chan, xCrAzYxGuRlx**

And I want to tell **pups4u34** that I'm sorry for disappointing you! I know the last chapter was a bit weird, but I have to get back on my plot somehow... (Shows a badly scribbled notebook) I've reflected and lamented for the whole week, and I've come to the conclusion that I'll just have to work harder... :)

Onward! -.-"

p.s: I didn't know that there were so many Sakura haters out there... .

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

* * *

_**Chapter 9-Resurfacing Emotions**_

* * *

"Room 26... Room... Ah! Here!"

Sakura let go of Hinata's arm and pushed open the door and stepped inside. Hinata and Sasuke followed.

The room was silent; save for the faint beeping of the heartbeat monitor. Hinata blinked her eyes a few times to adjust to the brightness and whiteness of the room. Slowly, her eyes took in the small table at the far corner, the vase of white lilies on top of it, the many cushioned armchairs, the bed that occupied most of the room, and the frail figure sleeping on it.

Hinata walked towards the bed in quick, small steps, her sandals making soft pattering sounds when it hit the cemented floor. Her lips were pressed together tighter with each step that she took. All other thoughts were saved for later, and right now, she only concentrated on the blond-haired shinobi on the bed.

He looked so fragile; so different from his usual cheery mood. The sun-kissed, tan skin were a deadly pale, and his breathing was light; too light.

She reached out a hand and ruffled his hair, an action that she would not have been able to do a few years ago. She touched the pointed tips tentatively, before slipping a blond lock between two fingers, brushing and marveling at its silkiness.

Hinata thenturned her head to look at Sakura, questioning her silently with eyes that were filled with concern.

Sakura walked over and stood beside Hinata, wearing a sad smile as she looked at Naruto.

"We met some... formidable opponents during our mission..."

She bit her lip; as if forcing herself to not utter another word. Hinata nodded her head in understanding, and didn't press for more.

Sasuke had been siting on a chair provided all this while, and watching and hearing the exchange carefully.

He saw how Sakura had cringed slightly when she mentioned the word 'formidable opponents'. Few could stand up to Naruto and the Kyuubi. Furthermore, the mission comprised of the members Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Neji, Tenten, Lee, and Gai-a 'formidable' team themselves. They had worked together since the Genins graduated from the academy, and there was also a medic in them.

Sure, Naruto was rash and all, being the one who would get the most serious injuries. But... If Naruto, having the Kyuubi's healing powers that he had heard so much about from Orochimaru, was in such a state, the 'formidable opponents' must have been on a very high level.

Sasuke stared at his hands darkly and pondered on this for a while. But his eyes caught a movement and he raised his head.

Hinata was stroking Naruto's cheek gently, and her eyes were moist. Sakura was beside her, comforting her all the while and telling her not to worry; that the medics had done a fine job treating his injuries.

The curse seal was starting to hurt, and he knew that it was because his Sharingan was activated. He calmed his nerves andthe raging emotions inside. But he still felt like hitting something hard at the moment.

Part of him wanted to find out about their mission, part of him wanted to wrench Hinata's hand away, and another part of him was puzzled and disgusted by his thoughts and desires.

He succeeded in turning his Sharingan off by closing his eyes and meditating, a trick that Tsunade had taught him. The important part was to push back all emotions, especially anger, and shutting off everything around him. In the end, he would forget where he was. The world wouldn't exist, there were no thoughts or emotions, no colours, no sounds, only nothingness remained.

Though he thought that it sounded stupid to meditate-he wasn't some old monk or something-it actually helped him control his anger and the stupid curse seal. It was like vacuum when he meditated. He pictured himself sucking out everything from his mind, and the only thing that he remembered doing was breathing.

A sharp tap on his shoulder broke him out of his trance. He peeled open his eyes to see Sakura in front of him, her mouth moving as words formed. Sasuke tried to register what she was saying.

"Ne, Sasuke. Let's go out and leave Naruto and Hinata to themselves?"

Sakura noted the slight jerking back of Sasuke's head; as if a thought had suddenly passed through his mind, and the widening of his eyes. But she didn't comment, and instead, tugged Sasuke's arm to alert him, and motioned for him to take up her suggestion.

Surprisingly, Sasuke relented for once. But Sakura didn't feel happy or glad, as much as she wanted to.

She took in a deep breath, carried a bright smile on her face, and led Sasuke out of the room after bidding Hinata farewell.

Hinata tore her eyes from Naruto for a moment, her eyes locking on the part where Sakura's hand and Sasuke's arm joined.

---

Sakura passed the can of coffee to Sasuke and sat down onto the bench beside him. She drank her own can, feeling the bitter liquid slip down her throat as her senses became more alert.

She watched as Sasuke gulped down the drink, his eyes narrowed the whole while, as if he was deep in thought. Sakura had a suspicion as to what he might be thinking, but was too afraid to admit it.

As the years went by, she saw how Sasuke had changed from a boy to an adult. And yet, he was still as cold as ever; untouchable. She knew it was because of the vengeance inside him that had grown deeper and darker throughout the years, but she had always thought that she would be the one to save him from the darkness.

Sakura scoffed to herself softly. _Naïve._

She had grown up from being the hopeless romantic child that she was. All that she thought all day was ways as to attract the village heartthrob, Uchiha Sasuke. Perhaps it started out as a childish crush, but she wasn't so certain as to what it was now.

Fairytales certainly did not exist in her Shinobi world, and she had grown out of thinking that she would be the one to melt Sasuke's iced-heart.

To get his recognition, to be able to aid him, she had to become stronger. But why, after she had finally gained some respect from the higher level Shinobis; finally gotten much stronger, was he still so cold towards her?

Maybe she didn't really understand what Sasuke actually needed. But she believed that she would be the one for him. She truly believed so.

Yet, the smile she had seen Sasuke give to _her_ earlier today, made Sakura think if it was best that she considered what she _believed_ in.

But she wasn't one to give up so easily, either, where matters of the heart were concerned.

_You'll see._

---

It was so confusing. So _bloody_ confusing. When had it become so complicated?

He was such a fool. He should have known not to drag himself into this mess. Now, he couldn't find any way out.

Naruto was injured. So why did he have that urge to beat the _crap_ out of him?

Sasuke's eyes darkened and he tried to push those feelings away, but to no avail.

Why the hell did _she_ have to come along, smile, care for him, stand up for him, and even understand him?

He could have sworn she was playing with him, leading him by the nose.

And she was a person as stupidly dense, sickeningly kind, irresistibly cute, incredibly beautiful, wonderfully soft...

_What the hell?_

He was... he was turning into some kind of love-sick idiot!

_Damn her..._

Sasuke was mentally pulling his hair out of his head now, and his breathing turned heavy out of frustration.

He swallowed the last drip of coffee and crushed the can, before throwing it into a dustbin a few metres away, without battling an eyelid.

There was no way he was going to admit his true feelings. No way. If he didn't admit, there was still the chance that he would get out of this mess.

Hadn't he already decided, from the night his clan was slaughtered, that he would be an avenger, breaking all bonds that he had?

He didn't need them. Yes; he nodded his head slightly in agreement, he didn't need them.

* * *

_**End of Chapter 9-Resurfacing Emotions**_

* * *

A/N: Hinata's thoughts are revealed the next chapter! Along with her interaction with another character! (Not telling who!)

Dang... This is getting kinda draggy... I'm tempted to just make Sasuke and Hinata admit their feelings for one another! Haha... But I wouldn't do that, would I? ;)

On a side note, I'm going to add another pairing soon... Hohoho...

p.s: When I mentioned 'love-sick', it didn't mean that Sasuke is in love with Hinata. No, not yet. It was just his term for 'moron' and 'pervert'. (Hormones... -.- )

Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for reviews to:

**I C H I R I N - N O - H A N A, Chishio, YumYum-chan, The Dark Hanyou, mUcHaChAnGiStAriRaY, wolf-enzeru, Payday, amwong88, kenshinlover2002, insanely-normal,** **newblue, Anime/Manga lubber,** **MisSs005, Ari, Hiei's Shadow Tenshi, hatami, xCrAzYxGuRlx, thunder sister, soulcollector, Love Hunter02, observaant- not mean, Waffles01, BloodRed Eyes **(were you Reyna Rei?)**, NanamiYatsumaki, Oishi-oishi, ..., Neji rocks **(I agree)**, Ladii-Chocolate **(hugs)**, Lost Angelic Princess, JellyGurl, Raven's-story** (x3)**, Majia **(x2)

p.s: Ah yes... I think I blame the hormones too much... -.- But... It's only because I don't want Sasuke to just fall in love with Hinata that suddenly... He IS an avenger.. But um... hormones count as an attraction... right...? XD

I'm terribly sorry for the slow update! I had exams! (again...) I had meant to inform sooner, but... sorry! And then after my exams, I had a writer's block... T.T But! After reading some wonderful SasuHina fics, my passion for SasuHina has grown and fueled me into writing this chapter! (Yes, it is passion that drives me... XD) Without further ado, I present to you Chapter 10!

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

Love for **Ladii-Chocolate** who beta-edited this chapter! XD

* * *

_**Chapter 10-And Still Getting to Know You**_

* * *

Porcelain hands that looked just as pretty and fragile poured some tea into two clay cups; the movement delicate and elegant, without a moment of hesitation.

"How are you, Neji-niisan?"

Hinata tilted her head to a side, just like how she had done when she first met Neji so many years ago, and handed him his tea.

White eyes similar to hers stared at her, but the once cold and hard gaze in it was now replaced with a warm and friendly one.

"I'm fine, Hinata-sama," Neji responded, and added a smile.

The two paused their conversation for a moment and proceeded to sip their tea. As the refreshing liquid slipped down her throat, Hinata felt her muscles loosen and began to relax herself.

Many things and events had happened in just a short span of twenty-four hours. It was nerve-wracking for Hinata, and so she lavished in this rare tea-session with her cousin.

She drew in a deep breath, breathing in the pine smell of the wooden furniture, before wetting her lips with the tea again.

Neji mimicked Hinata's actions a few times before speaking up. "I heard that you were training with Uchiha Sasuke while we were gone on the mission?"

He saw Hinata widen her eyes for a second, before a very faint blush crept up her cheeks. Then she looked at him and gave an assuring smile.

"It was difficult being with him at first, but we got along in the end..."

She narrowed her eyes and slowed down in her speech as she neared the end, as if in doubt with herself. Her actions did not go unnoticed by Neji, and he chuckled inwardly.

"Are you sure, Hinata-sama?" Neji leaned forward and peered at her closely, fixing his eyes on hers intently and making her squirm under his gaze.

Hinata twiddled her fingers while holding the cup—how she was able to do it, Neji did not know—out of habit. After seconds of blushing fervently and making incoherent squeaks, Hinata finally gave up and finished drinking her tea in one gulp; hiding her face behind the cup and her hands as she was doing so.

Neji removed the cup from her gently and placed it back onto the low table, then smiled kindly at her. "It's okay, Hinata-sama. Your... mission was to train with Uchiha, not make friends with him."

"Besides... How could anyone make friends with someone like him?" This was added as an afterthought.

_Although I was like him in the past too..._

And suddenly, Hinata's voice was back and in a louder tone, "No! He isn't what you think he is! I-I..."

"I-I... I-I," she tried again, but could not get the right words out.

Neji responded to her slight outburst with a questioning look, which was replaced quickly with a frown and deep narrowing of eyes.

"I-I'm his... f-friend!"

She managed to blurt that statement out, and took in a much needed breath when she was done. But that did not relieve the tightness she felt in her chest.

Hinata saw Neji's expression, and how he was going to retort back to her for that statement.

"Neji-niisan! How was your mission!" Her words came out in a rush.

Neji seemed to understand that Hinata did not want to carry on with that conversation and did not press further, though he contemplated on it at the back of his mind.

"About our mission... We met..."

---

"What are you doing here?"

Sasuke had not meant to speak in such a harsh and hard tone, but seeing her again caused him to get frustrated once more.

Not to forget that he wanted to add "Go see your Naruto" to what he had just said.

He turned away from her sharply and sat down when he approached a tree.

"The Hokage has not informed me of what I should do now that your team is back, and so I thought I would continue with this mission that I was entrusted to."

Hinata leveled her voice and tried to prevent her voice from trembling too much. But those creamy-white eyes of hers still reflected her hurt, and Sasuke caught it as she walked towards him.

"Sorry," he mumbled to the tree, eyes looking everywhere but her.

She managed a smile; whether it is genuine or to convince herself that she was feeling fine, she didn't know. Gaze resting on the last survivor of the Uchiha clan again, Hinata spoke up when she saw the ugly cut on his left arm. No doubt courtesy of his training.

"Here, let me patch you up."

Before Sasuke could respond, a ball of green light was forming around both palms, and Hinata bent down to heal his wound.

Sasuke felt Hinata's chakra flowing into his arm, tickling the flesh that was exposed and yet relieving the pain it caused. Soon, he felt his skin growing and hardening around the rather deep incision, and his arm was good like before.

It was a rather... peculiar experience that the raven-haired boy had experienced, since he had mostly just applied ointment and bandaged any minor wounds up, and when someone did such kind of medical treatment to him, he was usually unconscious.

"Are you a medic-nin?"

It felt unusual to ask her this out of the blue, and only when they had met for close to three weeks now. But then, this was something Sasuke had never thought of until now, when Hinata was actually using her skills to help him recover. Was he that disconnected from this world?

"No..."

Her soft voice floated to his ears and he whipped his head around to land his eyes on hers. She got her response when he widened his eyes.

"My father didn't think it... proper for me to work as a... 'l-lowly' medic, as he puts it."

At this, her avid listener let out a snort and wasn't ashamed to show his displeasure; rolling his eyes and giving out a sharp breath.

_High and mighty are the Hyuugas, eh?_

"But I do help out at the hospital at times, and pick up some skills."

Her face lit up as she mentioned that point; she was grateful that Shizune-san and Tsunade-sama would offer to teach her some useful techniques and share many tips.

Contrary to hers, Sasuke's face darkened as she mentioned the hospital, him thinking of Naruto once more, and the amount of affection Hinata had shown for him.

"And you can probably help Naruto recover faster," he spat out.

The Hyuuga heiress seemed not to notice Sasuke's distaste, and replied, "I do hope I can do something to help Naruto-kun." A smile formed as his name rolled out of her lips. "He'd always been encouraging me, telling me not to give up, and I-"

"Love him," Sasuke interrupted and finished her sentence for her, baring his teeth and barely containing his anger.

After a sharp intake of breath, Hinata looked up and met Sasuke's gaze, and gave another surprised gasp.

She had never seen Sasuke like this before; an expression that contained suppressed fury, eyes that were a menacing black that seemed to be able to kill effortlessly.

"I-I d-don't."

Something flashed across his face then, and the rage fell away as fast as it came.

"I-I did have a c-crush on N-Naruto-kun a few years back," she continued, voice and breathing steadying again as she reached the middle, "I've always thought I loved him, but this seemed not to be the case. In the past, everytime I felt discouraged, I would remember him and find hope."

Sasuke listened to her intently, but got distracted by the moving of her hands... and her lips.

"I continued doing that for some time; saying his name out aloud in my mind, and it continued driving me forward. But then as time went on, I realised that I could only say his name, and nothing more."

"I f-forgot what h-he l-looked like, I could not p-picture h-his face in my m-mind without l-looking at h-him," her stutter was back again as she felt Sasuke's intense gaze on her, and suddenly her throat felt dry and the weather seemed hotter than it could be in summer.

"S-Soon, I c-came to the c-conclusion that I don't love Naru-"

Her sentence was broken off once more, but this time by his lips on hers; the ruby lips of hers were too much for him to handle, and he wanted to do more than stare.

Sasuke had only meant for his lips to ghost over hers; to have a little taste and find out for himself what it actually felt like, and nothing more. But the relief and happiness—yes, happiness—that he had felt upon knowing that Hinata did not love Naruto was too overwhelming, and he let it out on those soft petals of hers.

Pretty soon, he was running his tongue over her bottom lip and seeking for entrance, and when she responded back with an equal amount of passion, all thoughts about how he swore not to have any feelings for anyone, or how he was going to have his revenge, were thrown to somewhere distant and away from this moment.

All he wanted right now was to indulge in this heaven she provided.

* * *

_**End of Chapter 10-And Still Getting to Know You**_

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thank you to all who have read and reviwed and supported this fanfiction up till now. I have not excuses for the horrendously slow update. I wasn't too happy with the SasuHina fandom for quite some time. I will finish this story though, no matter what it takes, so rest assured. Also, if you have a time, do help fill out a poll for me. Links are in my profile. Thanks!

* * *

_**Chapter 11-This Love of Mine  
**_

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke stared at the piles of paper on the Hokage's desk. He could only faintly point out the differences between the tick-tocking of the grandfather clock in the room from the Hokage's voice that had seemingly been droning on and on for hours. It was queer to even himself that he wasn't paying any attention the the village's most important figure, and even more so when he should be gaining merit points to earn some trust from the higher levels and hopefully, gain a promotion not far into the future. 

It wasn't entirely his fault that his whole being was focused at the person next to him, his nerves pricking at the slight tension between them. His mind flooded him with images of their recent encounter at the mention of _her_: the two of them engaging in a lip-lock, one of his hand fisted into her velvet hair when the other rested at her waist, pulling her close, his eyes taking in the sight of her slightly-swollen lips, bright, bright eyes...

"Uchiha."

Sasuke straightened his posture and snapped his eyes open to rest them on the Hokage's the instant, "Hai?" He tried to fight the blush that had derived from his small fantasising off his cheeks.

"I'm glad I've got your attention," Tsunade drawled, unamused, "I was just talking to Hinata--only Hinata, since you were spiritually not here--about your training sessions."

He gave a slight nod,--and tried to ignore the sarcasm--prompting for her to continue.

"I'm glad that you two had survived throughout this course of--what? Four weeks? And yes, since your team is back, you will return to Kakashi for training."

Tsunade started at the two for a little longer before giving a slight wave, "Dismissed."

Both ninjas walked out after a respectful "Hai."

---

Sasuke almost blotted out of the building after he stepped out of the door; anxious to put some distance between Hinata and himself. It wasn't doing his mind or body any good being too close with her.

So now the famous prodigy, Uchiha Sasuke, was running away from a shy, timid, girl? A part of him taunted. What was next? Him worshipping Naruto at his altar? He snorted at the repulsive imagery. At least thinking of Naruto got his mind out of the gutter.

He flexed his legs and took long strides, wishing he could reach the training grounds soon. When training, he can always forget about everything--Hinata be damned--and focus on plotting the best ways to kill Itachi.

"U-Uchiha-san."

The voice startled him and he almost jumped, but he had instantly recognised the voice, and so turned around sharply instead.

"Yea?" He tried to keep his voice low and his tone cold; how out-of-character he could become was for his mind and his mind alone; he had an image to preserve outside of it, thank you very much.

The Hyuuga heiress only poked her fingers together and stared at the grass in response. Her face was burning red and she opened her mouth a few times but only inauduble squeaks came out.

The blush was getting to him as well; making him giddy, and the raven-haired boy sighed, letting go some of his pride and gesturing to a clean spot beneath a tree, somewhat well-hidden from watchful eyes, "We need to talk."

Hinata followed Sasuke like a puppet. Her face flamed and she found it hard to breathe. She almost collapsed when she reached the tree. This pressure was far too much to handle for her. And to think she had wanted to sort things out; make things clearer with him. At this rate, she would have fainted before anything could be done.

Sasuke stared at the top of Hinata's head for a moment and faked a cough. She only grasped a handful of grass at the sound. He sighed.

Uchiha Sasuke wasn't stupid enough to not know why Hinata had sought him out. He had wanted to come to some kind of closure for... it... too. But how exactly should he go about doing this? True, he was the one who initiated things; he had already slapped himself mentally a thousand times for that. But Hinata was to blame too, since she had followed.

So does this mean that the attraction was mutual? But knowing this fact didn't solve anything either. The last thing Sasuke wanted was to declare their undying love for each other. And he was sure they weren't in _love_. Dating was not an option either. He had more important things to work on, like killing Itachi and mutilating him afterward.

"Sorry," was all he managed after much thinking.

Hinata's head shot up suddenly before bowing down again. But it was enough for Sasuke to see the surprise and hurt in her eyes. He had obviously not done enough thinking. Whichever guy would have a really, really, hot and long kiss with a girl and then give such a lame apology after avoiding her for days? He instantly regretted his words.

"N-No! I mean--I--! Urgh."

Damn. _Damn. Damn!_ Why did things have to turn out so complicated? They didn't even know what that kiss meant, for god's sake!

_Wait._

"Hinata... I think I have an idea..." he said slowly. When he received no reaction or so from her, Sasuke gently lifted her chin up and forced her to look at him.

"U-Uchi--!"

"You can improve the situation by calling me 'Sasuke'," he spoke, seriously, his eyes on hers.

"You want to know what that kiss meant, right? So do I. So let's try it again. If we later come to a conclusion that it was a mistake, then we'd just forget about it. If not, we'd work things out from there. How does that sound?" He managed to say all of that in one breath, and he panted lightly.

Hinata swallowed and blinked a few times before digesting Sasuke's words. She then flailed for a second before deciding that this was for the best, and nodded determinedly.

He almost gave a sigh of relief when he saw that nod. Bringing his face closer to Hinata's, he brushed his lips against hers.

And then everything clicked into place.

---

"Is this what you wanted?"

Hyuuga Neji gave a firm nod to the pink-haired Kunoichi in front of him, "Yes, thank you, Haruno-san."

Sakura fidgeted slightly to the awkward and unfamiliar formalities that Neji used, but still managed a smile, "If you need any more reports of that, you can find me or Tsunade-sama."

"Yes, I will. Thank you."

The Kunoichi was about to bid the Hyuuga genius good-bye when she saw the scene under a tree, about fifty metres away.

_Oh god. Oh. God._

Neji obviously noticed her distress, and he turned his head to see what Sakura was looking at. What he saw made his blood run cold.

Uchiha, and Hinata-sama... _Impossible_!

Sakura had already taken a step towards the two when Neji saw her actions and grabbed her arm.

_This isn't happening. This. Isn't. Happening._

They disappeared into a cloud of smoke and Sakura found herself in an alleyway with Neji the next second. She sat on the ground; not caring if it was dirty, the moment Neji released her.

_Oh god. _

There was minutes of silence before Sakura finally stood up and braced herself up against the wall. "Tell me what you saw," she murmured to Neji.

She saw him clenched his fists. It was impossible to lie to herself now. What both of them saw was real. Sakura felt faint at that conclusion.

Her mind only started working when she caught a flicker of... pain flash through Neji's eyes. It was slight, but Sakura had caught it, only because she knew that emotion all too well.

She instantly concluded that Neji held some feelings for Hinata. And then she felt some tiny disgust for Neji having such thoughts for his cousin. But this was Hinata. This was Hinata whom Sasuke had just kissed, seemingly heatedly, under a tree.

Sakura sprang and grabbed Neji's arm tightly. He was caught unaware and turned to face her, surprised.

"You like her. You like Hinata!"

Her mind was in too much of a chaos to inform her that she was grabbing Hyuuga Neji's arm not too politely.

"You like her, don't you?" She repeated, this time louder and more desperate. "Go after her! Why didn't you stop him and go after--!"

Her sentence was cut short as she was slammed to the wall a second later. Her back and head hurt from the impact, and she couldn't move her arms to free herself because Neji was clawing his fingers into them.

"Shut up," he snarled, his eyes burning hers. "Shut. Up."

She could only stare at him, afraid, and curl inwardly at the anger vibes he produced.

He released her after a few deep breaths, and stepped away quickly, as if she stung. But his hard glare still pinned her to the wall.

"What good would it do if I told her?" he hissed, "You should know full-well that it can never work."

Sakura flinched visibly at his retort which re-opened her old wounds and created new ones.

"...S-Sorry..." she muttered, but he was already gone.

And Sakura dropped to her knees and cried.

* * *

_**End of **__**Chapter 11-This Love of Mine**_

* * *


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